Improving Maternal Depression Screening in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Area of Science:

• Perinatal mental health
• Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care
• Maternal mental well-being

Background:

• Postnatal depression affects mothers of infants in the NICU.
• Understanding mothers' perceptions of mental health treatment is crucial for effective care.
• The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a common screening tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perceived benefits of mental health treatment between mothers with and without positive depression screens in the NICU.
• To investigate if depression screening scores correlate with perceived treatment needs.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from 205 mothers of NICU infants.
• Mothers completed a depression scale and indicated perceived benefit from mental health treatment.
• Chi-square test used to compare perceived benefit between depression screening groups.

Main Results:

• Mothers screening negatively for depression were significantly less likely to believe they would benefit from mental health intervention.
• Among mothers screening positively for depression, a notable proportion did not perceive a need for treatment.
• Among mothers screening negatively, a smaller proportion perceived a need for treatment.

Conclusions:

• Depression screening alone does not predict a mother's perceived need for mental health treatment.
• Nurses can enhance identification and follow-up of depressed mothers in the NICU by inquiring about their perceived need for mental health support.
• Directly asking mothers about their perceived need for mental health treatment is a valuable clinical strategy.